Tool and method for inserting pins



NOV. 7, 1967 F FLOREK 3,351,054

TOOL AND METHOD FOR INSERTING PINS Filed Feb. 23, 1965 III...- .1

|4 '6 INVENTOR.

FLORIAN F. FLOREK United States Patent 3,351,054 TOOL AND METHOD FOR INSERTING PINS Florian F. Florek, 27 Market St., Edinboro, Pa. 16412 Filed Feb. 23, 1965, Ser. No. 434,212 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-83) This invention relates to surgical instruments and, more particularly, to an instrument for inserting a pin into the bones of a body to hold these bones in rigid relation.

In inserting pins according to present surgical procedures, the pins are held in a rotating device which is held in the hands of an assistant. The physician manipulates the pin adjacent the finger or other part.

It has been discovered that by providing a handle whereby the physician can manipulate the pin and also force it into the member, the entire operation can be simplified.

It is, accordingly, an object of the present invention to provide an improved instrument for inserting pins into a body.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved surgical instrument.

With the above and other objects in view, the present invention consists of the combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawing and more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the form, size, proportions, and minor details of construction without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal cross sectional view of the instrument according to the invention; and

FIG. 2 is a partially cut away isometric view of the device according to the invention.

Now with more particular reference to the drawing, the device shown is indicated generally at 10. The device has a handle 11 which is formed of a suitable contour to be received in the hand of a person and large enough to permit a comfortable twisting action. The entire device including the reduced size threaded portion 16, split end 12, and handle 11 are made of a single piece of material; for example, metal, so that the device can be easily and readily sterilized. The split end 12 and sleeve 14 make up a chuck. The inside of split end 12 will be knurled so pin 17 can be adequately gripped or the chuck could be geared as in the well known drill chucks.

The split tapered end 12 receives the internally threaded sleeve 14 on the externally threaded portion 16 of the handle 11 and the tapered end 15 of the sleeve 14 squeezes the parts defining the slots 21 of the split tapered end 12 together around the slots 21 so that the pin 17 is thoroughly gripped. Pin 17 may be up to inch in diameter, for example.

An axial hole 13 extends entirely through the instrument thereby allowing the pin 17 to extend from either end. Thus, in practice, the physician can grasp the handle 11 in one hand and hold the finger 18 of the patient in the other. The pin 17 can be clamped firmly in the handle so that only a small part thereof extends from the end of the instrument. The physician can then manipulate the handle so that it forces the pin into the joint 19 of the finger 18 as indicated by the dotted line at 20. Through the use of this instrument, the physician can simplify the operation of inserting the pins, will not need an assistant, and can carry out the Operation described above more efi'iciently. 1

Since only a small part of the pin need be between the end 12 and the finger at any time, the physician will have better control of the operation. After the pin is inserted to the desired depth, it can be cut off.

The foregoing specification sets forth the invention in its preferred practical forms but the structure shown is capable of modification within a range of equivalents without departing from the invention which is to be understood is broadly novel as is commensurate with the appended claims.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. An instrument comprising an elongated generally cylindrical handle extending completely in a longitudinal direction adapted to be received completely and in its entirety in a hand and held in said hand, a threaded member on said handle, a reduced size neck portion fixed to said threaded member, a conical member longitudinally split on said neck portion, said handle, threaded member, neck portion, and conical member all being integrally connected together, a sleeve having an internal surface engaging said conical member, a hole through said conical member, said neck portion, said threaded member, and said handle, a surgical pin in said hole, said sleeve being adapted to be tightened to clamp said conical member to said surgical pin in said handle, said handle and said pin and all parts thereof being disposed coaxially of each other.

2. A method of inserting a pin into a member of the body of a person comprising attaching said pin to a handle adapted to be held in a hand adjacent said member with only a short length of said pin between said handle and said member, forcing said pin into said member until said handle is near said member,

attaching said handle to said pin further from said member and forcing said pin further into said memher,

and cutting off said pin to the proper length.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 964,922 7/1910 Lewthwaite 81-414 965,970 8/1910 Wells 8l-114 2,144,342 1/1939 Morrison 128-83 2,393,982 2/1946 Giesen 128--84 2,719,445 10/ 1955 Giebler 811 14 3,208,450 9/1965 Abelson 128-83 RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. I. W. HINEY, Assistant Examiner. 

1. AN INSTRUMENT COMPRISING AN ELONGATED GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL HANDLE EXTENDING COMPLETELY IN A LONGITUDINAL DIRECTION ADAPTED TO BE RECEIVED COMPLETELY AND IN ITS ENTIRETY IN A HAND AND HELD IN SAID HAND, A THREADED MEMBER ON SAID HANDLE, A REDUCED SIZE NECK PORTION FIXED TO SAID THREADED MEMBER, A CONICAL MEMBER LONGITUDINALLY SPLIT ON SAID NECK PORTION, SAID HANDLE, THREADED MEMBER, NECK PORTION, AND CONICAL MEMBER ALL BEING INTEGRALLY CONNECTED TOGETHER, A SLEEVE HAVING AN INTERNAL SURFACE ENGAGING SAID CONICAL MEMBER, A HOLE THROUGH SAID CONICAL MEMBER, SAID NECK PORTION, SAID THREADED MEMBER, AND SAID HANDLE, A SURGICAL PIN IN SAID HOLE, SAID SLEEVE BEING ADAPTED TO BE TIGHTENED TO CLAMP SAID CONICAL MEMBER TO SAID SURGICAL PIN IN SAID HANDLE, SAID HANDLE AND SAID PIN AND ALL PARTS THEREOF BEING DISPOSED COAXIALLY OF EACH OTHER. 